Microsoft touts touch in Office 2013

To entice potential Windows 8 tablet users, the company has taken to its blogs to explain the touch capabilities in its upcoming Office suite.

Microsoft is aiming Office 2013 at touch-screen devices as well as PCs. So the company is starting to pull out the stops to convince tablet users that the new Office is just right for them.

In a blog post yesterday, Clint Covington, a lead program manager for Microsoft's User Experience team, explained how touch works in the new suite. Products such as OneNote and Lync have been redesigned from the ground up to fully support touch. The other applications in Office have been "touch-enabled," which means they support certain touch features but remain true to their roots as desktop applications.

Designing apps to respond to a finger instead of a mouse can be challenging, so Microsoft had to enlarge certain elements in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Users will find fixed parts of the interface larger, such as the Quick Access toolbar, the ribbon, the status bar, and folders in Outlook. Certain menus will also appear larger.

But the size only increases when touch mode is enabled. You can turn touch mode on and off, depending on what type of device you're using, and the interface adapts. The onscreen keyboard also provides a fuller view of your document by automatically minimizing the ribbon and giving you more room to work.

Drag-and-drop gets an assist in touch mode through the use of selection handles that appear when you try to move or copy an item. Other touch features have been enabled through the suite, and Microsoft says it's still working to polish them up.

Office's new touch features will work onWindows 7 devices, Covington noted. But improvements in Windows 8 mean the experience will run better on tablets running the upcoming new OS.

In supporting touch, Office 2013 seems to be walking the same fine line as Windows 8.

Both have been designed as single products for touch-screen devices and traditional PCs. Such an approach clearly speaks to the challenge that Microsoft faces today. The company knows it must succeed in the growing market for mobile devices in order to stay relevant, yet it can't leave its core desktop users behind.

Of course, that approach is dicey. By designing one single product aimed at all devices, you risk creating a product that's feels just a bit off on any particular device. PC users of Windows 8 have already complained that certain Metro features of the OS can be difficult to use with a mouse and keyboard. With Office 2013, Microsoft erred on the side of caution by borrowing some of the flavors of Metro but maintaining the suite's roots in desktop applications.

Will the redesigned Office suite offer the right features to appeal to both tablet and PC users? With Office one of its bread-and-butter products, Microsoft is counting on it. But we'll have to see how consumers respond when the new suite hits the shelves.

Courtesy : news.cnet.com

Microsoft's Surface tablet said to come with only Wi-Fi

While the software giant has yet to release full specs on its forthcoming tablet, rumors are circulating that it may be Wi-Fi only and without a mobile network connection.

Microsoft's new Surface tablet computer.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft's much talked about Surface tablet may be Wi-Fi only, according to Bloomberg.

The news agency reports that people familiar with the tablet's specs say the device will go on sale without any mobile-phone network connection, but will come with a short-range Wi-Fi connection. This could change in later models.

Surface will be running Microsoft's next-generation Windows operating system and marks the company's first foray into the ever-expanding tablet market. Though the software giant has unveiled Surface, it has yet to release all the details on the specifications.

Apparently, the tablet is thought to be a direct competitor to Apple's iPad. Network accessibility could hinder this goal, however. The new iPad, which went on sale in March, comes equipped with LTE and has the option of a mobile-phone chip, according to Bloomberg. Users can also buy the iPad's Wi-Fi-only model if they prefer.

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft plans to start selling the Surface later this year and will be working with Apple's iPhone-maker, Pegatron, to manufacture the tablet.

VIA:news.cnet.com

One Windows to rule them all

Microsoft's upcoming mobile OS has a lot more in common with Windows Sr., a technology decision that hints at closer future ties.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

In the world of making apps and games, going multi-platform is serious business. It adds cost, complexity, and can extend the amount of time developers need to push out finished products.

Microsoft wants to change that calculus -- especially when it comes to developing on its own two computing platforms that share the same name.

At its developer preview event in San Francisco yesterday, Microsoft debuted Windows Phone 8, the next major version of its mobile phone OS, slated for release alongside a crop of new phones later this year. Among the myriad announcements, perhaps the most significant was Microsoft's decision to tighten up compatibility between Windows Phone and Windows 8.

Under the hood

That closeness comes in the form of a shared kernel. In non-developer speak, you can think of the kernel like a bridge between the hardware and the software. It takes care of some of the dirty business like giving software access to parts of the hardware, and managing resources, all to make sure everything keeps humming.

As my colleague Mary Jo Foley over at ZDnet explained elsewhere, Windows Phone as we currently know it, runs on a version of Windows Embedded Compact. Yes, that's Windows, but it's a variant of its flagship OS that was under-featured by comparison. The new version sets the foundation for Microsoft to make significant changes in hardware and software compatibility, including support for multi-core chips, and support for native code.

"The biggest effect this will have is we're going to see some freaking killer games this year," said Joe Belfiore, Microsoft's vice president of the Windows phone program.Native code lets apps run on the device using both the C and C++ coding languages. At its presentation yesterday, Microsoft talked up how this plays a crucial role in helping developers create apps and games for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.

The company illustrated that yesterday with a demo of 3D game Marble Maze, running first on a Windows machine, then back over on a phone. Belfiore said the changeover was accomplished with "incredibly small" changes to the code. Microsoft tried to underscore that point with a barrage of technology demos from Havok, the popular physics engine, showing hundreds of boxes being tossed around, shot at, and even exploded -- all on the screen of a Windows Phone.

The rub

One downside is that to make all this happen, older phones won't be able to run apps written in native code for Windows Phone 8, and conversely existing Windows Phone devices aren't getting the software when it arrives. Microsoft is addressing the latter with an update called 7.8, which adds a new home screen view. On the plus side, the company pledged to give Windows Phone 8 devices support for 18 months.

No doubt this creates fragmentation, something that's mired Google's Android platform, and, to a lesser extent, Apple's. But it's also a big bet by Microsoft to cut ties with the past and to move the platform forward -- not to mention get it in closer step with Windows 8. In other words, Microsoft wants to quickly close gaps that separate it from rivals, with a longer-term goal of surpassing them with unique platform tie-ins that only it can provide.

Convergence

So, does all this mean developers can create a game or app for Windows 8 and simply push it over to Windows Phone 8 at the same time? Not quite. What Microsoft promised, is that it will make it easier to bring titles back and forth between the two, and even some rival platforms using its software development tools.

That strategy could help Microsoft make up ground against competitors in app volume and attract more customers. Microsoft said yesterday it was up to more than 100,000 apps on its mobile store, but that's well below Apple's 650,000 and Google's 500,000.

The bigger picture is that Microsoft is trying to make its platform as attractive as possible to developers who have been lukewarm about programming for an unproven Windows Phone. That's certainly nothing new, but with Windows Phone 8, Microsoft is parting with some of the old in the name of paving the way for what's next. And that's something you don't usually hear in the same breath as Windows.

MICROSOFT SURFACE Tablets - Review & Specification

Microsoft breaks tradition with Microsoft Surface tablets

Company announces pair of Microsoft-branded "Surface" tablets running Windows 8 and Windows RT at long-awaited product unveiling in Los Angeles.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer

(Credit: CNET)

It's the end of an era. Or maybe the start of a new one.

Microsoft -- a company that traditionally has relied exclusively on its PC partners to provide hardware powered by its Windows operating system -- is trying out a new business model with next Windows release.

The company is going to offer two Microsoft-branded tablets of its own, both of which are branded as Microsoft Surface.

Mystery solved: Microsoft's new Surface tablet (pictures)

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Microsoft isn't actually manufacturing these new tablets itself -- just as it doesn't actually "make" the Xbox or the now defunct Zune media player. But it will be putting the Microsoft name on these devices. And this, many have speculated, will set up Microsoft as a head-to-head competitor with its own PC maker partners.

Pricing or any information on availability is not available yet. All officials are saying, via today's press release, is that "suggested retail pricing will be announced closer to availability and is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC. OEMs will have cost and feature parity on Windows 8 and Windows RT."

Both Windows RT, Microsoft's Windows on ARM operating system, and Windows 8 are expected to be released to manufacturing this summer, possibly as early as the end of July. And they are expected by us Microsoft watchers to be generally available around August or so.

The Surface for Windows RT is a 10.6-inch device that will include Office Home & Student 2013 RT (the next version of Microsoft's Office 15 apps). It will include support for a magnetically attachable cover that lets you touch type and a kickstand. It will be configurable as a 32 GB or 64 GB device.

The Surface Windows 8 Pro device also is 10.6 inches and includes the same cover option. It is configurable as a 64 GB or 128 GB device and also adds pen support.

In addition to pricing and availability, we also do not know who is building this device for Microsoft. (Samsung Electronics built the Surface 2.0 device, which is the latest version of Microsoft's Surface tabletop computer.) We also do not know if Microsoft is going to have other Surface-branded devices in the family -- including the existing Surface 2.0. (I've asked. No word back yet.)

The specs include:

• A full-size USB port and a 16:9 aspect ratio angled at 22 degrees.
• 10.6-inch, 16:9 widescreen HD Display.
• Integrated Kickstand: Built-in kickstand lets users move Surface from active use to passive consumption.
• Touch Cover: 3 mm pressure-sensitive Touch Cover senses keystrokes as gestures will come in different colors.

Panos Panay, general manager of Microsoft's Surface project,

(Credit: CNET)

Microsoft came out with a couple of Surface models. One runs an ARM processor for Windows RT, the other an Intel core processing chip for Windows 8 Pro.

Surface for Windows RT

• OS: Windows RT
• Light(1): 676 g
• Thin(2): 9.3 mm
• Clear: 10.6" ClearType HD Display
• Energized: 31.5 W-h
• Connected: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae
• Productive: Office '15' Apps, Touch Cover, Type Cover
• Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand
• Configurable: 32 GB, 64 GB

Surface for Windows 8 Pro

• OS: Windows 8 Pro
• Light(1): 903 g
• Thin(2): 13.5 mm
• Clear: 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD Display
• Energized: 42 W-h
• Connected: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae
• Productive: Touch Cover, Type Cover, Pen with Palm Block
• Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand
• Configurable: 64 GB, 128 GB